We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Niebles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I always knew I wanted to have my own business ever since I was in College, but after finishing college I was most focused on what type of finance job I would want to do in order to make really good money. I ended up moving to NYC and worked my way up the corporate ladder. Once I was performing my dreamed-job in a better than expected company, I realized I wasn’t as happy as I saw myself in my dreams. I was doing a lot of self-reflection especially, around 2019. I had some ideas of relocating to Australia or London, doing the same job, but deep inside, I knew I was going to feel unfulfilled again at some point. Then, Covid hit and relocation within my company was almost impossible, doing my job remotely in my small NYC apartment became almost depressing, I kept looking at other roles but I couldn’t find anything that I felt motivated enough to pursue, and on top of that, I got assigned 2 more big clients, which meant double amount of work, while my salary stay the same. At first, I felt angry and frustrated, I didn’t understand why so much was happening to me, it seemed like a nightmare. That afternoon, after speaking with my boss about the extra load of work, I walked to Central Park and I just cried uncontrollably. Laying in the grass would always make me feel better. I felt some strange inner-peace and then it hit me, I realized I was just getting clear signals that change needed to happen, that I couldn’t ignore this any longer. I came to the conclusion that I was staying in my job because of NYC and I was still in NYC because of my job, but both were not aligned with my life anymore. It was at this moment when I decided I was done with NYC & my corporate job, I felt an inner-knowing that a plan would unfold when time was right. I started connecting with my intuition daily through my meditations, I got clear messages including moving to Bali (which I visited the year before and I knew I needed to make this place my home at some point) & create my own business. Later on, I put together my passion for spirituality, crystals and inner-healing with the obsession I had with custom jewelry, and that’s how my business idea came up. I wanted to create energy-infused crystals with fine jewelry for an accessible price. I have to say, nothing of what I decided was logical, I let my intuition guide me 100%. Yes, I was scared, but I never fed my fears or tried to understand this information with my mind, because I would’ve given up, I heard way too many times “your intuition knows better”, and I wanted to give it a chance myself. My parents didn’t agree, but lots of my friends supported me and cheered me up. I spent the following year traveling and taking myself to amazing trips and going out while still at my job, because I knew that I was going to be working 24/7 once I started my business. I used some of my free time by getting inspired by jewelry brands, learning about business, e-commerce, branding, social media and getting connected to my spirituality. A year after I made this decision, I followed through with my soul calling plan: I quit my dreamed-job and moved to Bali to create my jewelry brand.

What should our readers know about your business?
LOVE from LAU – Healing Crystal Jewelry – MADE FOR YOUR SOUL.

LFL was born from a deep desire to merge inner healing with outer beauty. Gemstones and Crystals are organically made of Mother Earth, so when you get to wear one of LFL’s pieces, you are wearing the Healing Power of Nature.

One of the reasons why I came up with my brand, was because I have always believed in the power of crystals, but I had a hard time finding crystals that were wearable, pieces that were beautiful and would look good with a nice outfit, most of what I found was a bit too hippie for my work or going-out outfits, so I wanted to fulfill this need, of wearing a stunning piece of jewelry that would also help your healing journey.

Coming up with the designs wasn’t that difficult because I have always made custom jewelry for myself, so I would say this is the part of my business that I enjoy the most, as well as talking about crystal with customers and suggesting pieces, as many people are new to their crystal healing process. The biggest challenge I’ve had so far has been to create everything from scratch with basically zero knowledge or experience, it feels like double work, because I first spend a lot of time learning, then applying, then trying to become better at it, but at this point, after a year of having created my dream business, I feel more confident with all the processes and I am ready to explore options for expansion in 2023.

The biggest lesson with my business so far is to believe in myself, to trust that the process will unfold along the way, that I don’t need to know all the answers right away, to befriend uncertainty and to be patient, because a business is like a baby, it needs love, attention and care and it also takes time, a lot of time to grow.

I want the world to know that LFL jewelry has been created to support your inner-healing journey, to remind you that you’re not alone in this path, and that even though it can be scary and painful at times, these shiny pieces remind you that there’s beauty in the process, as well. You’ll be able to feel the energy infused in each piece, as they are blessed in Bali Ceremonies, to cleanse and recharge each crystal. They are ready for you to program them with your own personal intentions and to make them your sacred piece.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m living half of the time in the US (Miami, NYC, California) and the other half in Bali, where I create, manufacture and purify my jewelry designs.

While in San Diego, I would be around Pacific Beach, where I would highly suggest renting a bicycle, heading towards the beach and biking through Ocean Bvld, stopping at Water Bar for Oysters and lobster roll. Then head towards La Jolla and make several stops along the way for cliff and ocean views, you may get to see sea-lions, as well. Lots of nice stops for a drink or coffee on the way, beautiful houses to fall in love with, there’s lots of hills and you’ll be exhausted by the end of the day. Waking up early and heading to the beach for breakfast and coffee would be my go to everyday. If you’re into surfing, you’re in the right spot, I usually watch them from the beach, since I don’t surf myself. Oh and never miss a sunset from the beach! They’re the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen. I would also suggest a hiking day trip, lots of mountains close by, amazing views!. If you’re into fitness and meeting new people like I am, I would suggest to get a week-pass at Movement Warehouse, it’s the most effective HIIT class in PB and they have the most fun community, they do lots of activities like movie night, go out to clubs, cleaning the beach together, house-parties, etc, the best fitness community in the area.

On the other hand, if I was in Bali, I would suggest to rent a scooter, stay a couple of days in Canggu, lots of coffee shops and restaurants, gyms with spa areas and beach clubs. Then head to Uluwatu, for at least 2 nights: cliff view restaurants and clubs, Savaya for a nice weekend party, there’s lots of stunning beaches around for surfing or walks. My last stop would be Ubud. It’s a complete change of atmosphere, activities and energy. Here, you’ll be in the jungle, more humid, a bit lower temperature usually, best spots for yoga and other spiritual practices, take the opportunity to connect with yourself and reintegrate your Bali experience. Enjoy rice field views everywhere!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Book – 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma: it helped me create a winning morning ritual, focused on discipline, excellence and good habits

My corporate experience in customer service and account management: I learned relevant soft skills to provide world-class customer service online & in-person

My finance background: I have the basis to do my business accounting, sales, revenue, inventory & forecasting analysis

Book – The Bible of Crystals: I learned everything about crystals on this book, it also kept me inspired and faithful to crystals powers as well

Free courses online and on Youtube: for launching an ecommerce business, website creation, pre-launch sale, Etsy shop tips, photoshoots, social media, Facebook ads (basically for everything related to my business)

Ecommerce mastermind groups: a physical space/meet up in Bali where I would bring all my worries and through brainstorming with more experienced entrepreneurs, I would always find solutions

Friends & Family: They believed in me and supported me emotionally since day 1. I always had someone around to share my fears, doubts and successes with. Being an entrepreneur can be really isolating, but I’ve been so blessed to always have people around to talk to and to feel understood or just heard. They’ve been also my #1 fans and have bought from my shop often. I like to think they genuinely love my pieces

The Habit of Ferocity course by Steven Kotler: a series of neurological and physiological habits that automate peak performance. Thanks to this course I became unstoppable at launching my business within the deadline I gave to myself

Like-minded people: living on an island full of entrepreneurs & business owners was the right place for me to be. Many people were willing to give me advice at various stages of my business. There are lots of special people who supported me and I barely knew them at that point: one gave me practical advice to get started at the very beginning of my business journey, including how to launch, what brands could be my peers and more. Another girl, gave me the contact of my main manufacturers, this was huge! She basically made my business a reality. A fellow ecommerce guy showed me everything I needed to learn in order to sell online, like paid-ads and SEO. He also created the first page of my website! I could go on!

Facebook groups: they are the way to go in Bali for everything! Found here models, photographers, videographers, places for shoots, stores for consignments, collabs with other brands, festivals and events to be part of – you name it!

Website: lovefromlau.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lovefromlau_jewelry

Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/love-from-lau/

Facebook: facebook.com/lovefromlau

Other: *Etsy lovers: etsy.com/shop/LoveFromLau *Looking for inspiration? pinterest.com/lovefromlau_jewelry/

Image Credits
-Provivid Studio -Iknw Studio -SNXP Studio

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